Sounders lose; goal down heading to LA

As a practical matter, the Sounders didn't lose a game so much as they dug a hole. They are a goal down heading into their series-ending match at Los Angeles a week from tonight.

Here are the quick reactions from each coach

SIGI SCHMIDI thought we created more chances than they created. You take a goal – hat’s off to Edson, but he just turns and hits the ball in basically the direction of the goal, it could go anywhere, and it went in. But at the end of the day, right now we’re down at halftime 1-0. We have a second half to play in LA. And everything is still possible for us.

BRUCE ARENATough game, tough conditions. This field isn’t easy to play on for either team. It was tough. It was a pretty classic playoff game. You get a goal on the road and you’re defending, and you try to get out of here. That’s basically what we did.

65th minute: Tyrone Marshall in for Jeff Parke, who suffered a left ankle sprain.

65th minute: Yellow to Dema Kovalenko, who brought down Nkufo.

Attendance: 35,521 ... about a thousand less than their regular-season average, about two thousand less than last season's playoff match against Houston.

However ... this crowd is into the game big-time.

49th minute: And now Montero drawks one for clipping the back of Donovan's heel in the middle third.

48th minute: Juninho chops down Zakuani along the sideline and is carded.

Second half: ... has begun.

Halftime: Galaxy up, 1-0, on the Buddle goal.

For the half, Seattle had 10 shots to LA's 7, Seattle put seven on goal to LA's four.

Now, they have to outscore the Galaxy over the next 135 minutes of the season ends in LA a week from tonight.

38th minute: LA moves ahead 1-0 very much against the run of play, as Edson Buddle simply turns and fires from 25 yards, looping the shot over Keller but down into the low-far netting. Ianni was the Sounders defender closest to the play, but a step behind Buddle. And that is a bad place to be in relation to the No. 2 scorer in MLS.

Two more chances: Back-to-back nice chances for Montero in the 23rd minute. On the first, he set himself up with a nice fake, then fired low, drawing a corner from a diving Ricketts save. Then on the corner, Montero got a header on goal, but it was tapped over the crossbar.

Another near miss: Sturgis puts free kick right on Parke's forehead near the PK spot, but header goes just wide of post.

First 10 minutes: This doesn't look like two teams going for nil-nil. Lots of aggressive soccer early. Players and crowd both have moved it up a notch for the playoffs.

Instant non-goal: The Sounders seemed to pull ahead on a brilliant sequence of Nyassi to Osvaldo who shot, was saved and then Zakuani launched in the rebound. However, offside was ruled.

Kickoff: We've begun: Galaxy in white/white; Sounders in green/blue.

Nice touch by the North End supporters with a nice Sounders the MLS Monster banner.

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